If there were a prize for the best stand, then Ticketer’s colourful tropical-themed offering, complete with bird-song, a pond and brightly coloured parrots would have been a winner; it certainly brought in the crowds.
However, there was also a serious message from MD John Clarfelt: “Our range of payment options has now expanded so that operators can say to their customers, ‘we don’t care how you want to pay for your travel – just travel.’
”It’s the only way for bus operators to make money.”
Ticketer is now offering contactless, both single payment and capping, alongside an app, QR codes and m-tickets.
Its newly-launched app also has next-stop/countdown and a powerful journey planner.
Current roll-outs include some Go-Ahead companies alongside independents.
Visitors to Ticketer’s stand had the opportunity to view the exciting new features on the company’s next generation of Electronic Ticketing Machines.
Ticketer’s ETMs now give passengers the widest possible choice of multiple payment options, including cash, ITSO concession and commercial and EMV contactless (both UKCA Model 1 and Model 2, and including Apple and Android pay) on a single reader, and an integrated QR reader for both paper-based and multi-supplier mTicketing.
The last 12 months have seen Ticketer become the market leader in contactless ticketing, signing a significant number of new operators from large national businesses to small local operators.
Adds Mr Clarfelt: “Our full range of passenger payment options make paying for travel so easy, improving the passenger experience and increasing efficiencies for operators. We are constantly innovating, working with customers in order to add valuable new features that all Ticketer operators can benefit from.”
The Ticketer system supports both conventional “retail model” EMV contactless payments, as well as London style “pay as you go” ticketing with fares calculated in the back office. This means that the operator is able to consolidate contactless transaction costs by “aggregating” multiple transactions from the same customer together into a single debit to their account.
Ticketer also used the show to introduce a new passenger App, providing free of charge journey planning and ‘live’ stop-specific arrival times, fed from the Ticketer ETM, as well as the ability to buy mTickets.
Concludes Mr Clarfelt: “The transport landscape is changing rapidly. Everything we do is designed to help operators keep pace with those changes, and get more passengers to travel on public transport. We do that by making it as easy as possible for people to view their travel options, and pay for their journeys. The drive to develop for our customers, large and small, never stops.”
